Fountain marker



J. L. LA MURA vJOUNTAIN MARKER Dec. s, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 25, 1964 rlllllllll/l/ FIG.6

FIG. 5

JOSEPH L. LOMURA INVENTOR ATTORNEY J. L. LA MURA FOUNTAIN MARKER Dec. s, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fileduan. 2s, 1954 W m.. w

FIG.9

JOSEPH L. LGMURA INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O '3,159,363 FEJNTAHN MARKER .loseph L. La Mura, West Caldwell, NJ.

orsa Ave., Livingston, NJ.) Filed Iian. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 339,783 2 Claims. (Cl. l5 537) This application is a continuation-in-part of .applica-- marking various objects with ink for identification pur-v poses. The usual type of marker arrangement includes a supply of ink in a storagecontainer connected to a wick which is generally made of felt orv some similar substance. Prior. markers have used a wick which is permanently'secured to the supply containerand always extends beyond the 4end of the'container where it is available for marking purposes and also in a position where the ink or marking liuid may evaporate and render the device inoperative. Some markers have been pro- ICC the passagerof the uid. `A piston is positioned within the piston chamber and is free to move in a longitudinal direction when the container is inverted.

An auxiliary piston is positioned at the end of the piston chamber for pumping marking fluid from the container into the chamber. Automatic locking means are provided for retaining the marker in an extended position when the container is retained in its inverted position.

.The locking means is disengaged when the container is moved to its upright position thereby permitting the 4piston and the marker to recede within the piston cham- Y ber so that a cap may be applied to the device to seal vided with a cap which helps to keep the liuidfrom evaporating but, even in such structures, the wick or marking stylus is liable to get hard and fail to operate.

The present invention includes ia movable wick or markingrmember which moves into a recessed chamber when not in use. A close-fitting cap seals the unit from evaporation and prevents the wick from loosing its effectiveness. When the device is to be used formarking, the cap is unscrewed and the device is inverted thereby permitting the wick to protrude beyond the end of the marking device, and then when pressure is applied to the marking felt,`

an automatic ball lock retains 'the wick in its extended position so that pressure may beexerted on the wick without its receding into itspenclosing chamber. After the marking operation is completed, the Vdevice is turned to its erect position and the wick moves to a retracted position where it isy completely enclose and protected. The cap may then be applied for sealingthe entire device.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved fountain marker which avoids one or more of the disadvantages and limitations of prior art arrange ments.. v

Another object of the invention is to provide an enclosed fountain marker which cannot leak or evaporate and which will be ready for instant use.

Another object of the invention ist'o provide a fountain marker having a wick which is retractable and can be repositioned within the marking container so that it will never dry out.

AnotherV object of the invention includes an automatic locking arrangement which retains the marking wick in its extended position when inverted.

Another object of the invention is to provide an auto-y matic arrangement whereby the marking wick is moved to its retracted position whenever the container is turned slowly to its erect position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary pumping action by means of a weighted piston so that the felt marker obtains the right amount of marking fluid.

Another object of the invention is to supply a suicient amount of marking liuid to the felt at all timesV so that it may be used continuously.

The invention includes a container having an internal reservoir for the storage of marking uid. A piston chamber is secured to the upper end of the container for .ball lock tends downwardly into the reservoir l1.

it against evaporation of the marking iluid.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

PIG. l is a side view of the container with its cap attached.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the marker shown in FIG. l taken along line 2 2 of that figure.

FIG. 3 is a side view, partly in section, without the cap showing'the fountain marker in an inverted position with the marking felt ready for the application of mark.

ing fluid to an external surface.

' FlG. 4 is a cross sectional View, to an enlarged scale, of the piston chamber and the piston showing how the arrangement locks the piston in an extended position'.u

FG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the marker shown in FlG. l and is taken along line 5 5 of that figure.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional View of the piston shown in FIG. 4 and is taken along line 6 6 of that gure.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of a marker having an auxiliary pumping piston. This is the preferred form of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view, partly in section, of the marker shown in FIG. 7 Without the cap in an inverted position ready for marking.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional View similar toFIG, 4 but showing how 1a single retaining ball locks the marker piston.

4Referring now to the drawings, one form of the fountain marker is shown in FIGS. l, 2, and 3, and includes a cylindrical container l0 which is formed with-fa reservoir l1. The container is closed at the bottom and has an enlarged base l2 which is l.employed for supporting the marker in a vertical position when not in use. The top portion of the container is normally closed by a conical cap 13 which is removed when the marker is to be used. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the cap i3 is threaded to the top portion 14 ofthe container and the'mside top surface 15 makes contact with a portion of a piston chamber 16 thereby sealing the chamber and its contents from loss of liquid and from evaporation.

The piston chamber (see also FIGA) includes a rim 17 which makes contact with the upper edge of the container ltland a lower portion of the piston chamber ex- The piston chamber 11.6 is pressed into the upper opening or neck 14 of the container and remains in this position at alltimes. The piston chamber is formed with a cylindrical axial space 2i? and a metallic piston 2l is positioned within this space, generally free to move in a longitudinal direction, but having means for retaining the piston within the chamber at all times. The piston chamber lr6 has a small opening at its upper end for the passage of amarker wick 22 when in its operative marking condition. The piston chamber is closed at its other end by a permeable disk 23 which may be of felt. Disk 23 may be perforated with one or more small holes but it has been found by experiment that a coarse felt provides the necessary penetration to permit the marking iiuid from the reservoir 11 to enter the interior of the piston chamber at a rate sutiicient to supply the wick 22 for continuous marking of exterior surfaces.

The wick 22 is secured to a small depression in the piston 21 and the piston is prevented from moving through the upper hole in the piston chamber by a shoulder 241 When the piston 21 is in its retracted position and the marker is in its vertical position, the lower portion of the piston limits against an annular constriction 25 formed in the piston chamber. It will be noted that while the piston 2l is free to move in a longitudinal direction it cannot move any lower than the position shown in FIG. 2 and cannot move outwardly farther than the position shown in FIG. 3.

In order to retain the piston and its marking wick in marking position, two balls 26 are positioned within the piston chamber and when the container is inverted and the piston 21 falls to its extended position with wick 22 extended beyond the piston chamber, the two balls fall into contact with the rear end 21A of piston 21 and then, when pressure is exerted on the wick 22 by applying it to an external surface, the piston and balls are moved to the position shown in FIG. 4 where the balls `act as interponents between the end of the piston 21A and the upper surface of constriction 25. This locking means retains the wick 22 in its extended position and permits considerable pressure to be exerted upon it during a marking operation without having the wick retracted.. l

In order to move the piston and wick to its retracted position after the marking operation is finished, the container is raised and then slowly turned to its erect position. During this operation the balls are first loosened and then permitted to roll, one by one, into the volume between the constriction 25 and' the permeable material 23'. The piston then is free to move to its fully retracted position as shown in FIG. 2 and the cap 13 may be screwed into position to seal the marker and prevent evaporation of the marker fluid.

It has been found by experiment that two bal-ls present a satisfactory arrangement for producing the lock described above. However, one ball may be used and gives good results.

The fountain marker shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10, is similar to the marker described above but it has only one ball and has an additional piston for regulating the supply of' marking iiuid. The container 10 and the cap 13 are the same as shown in the other figures. 'Ihe piston 21 supports the wick 22 but is terminated by an inclined plane surface 27 at its interior end and is locked by a single ball 28. When the piston and ball 28y are in their locked position as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the ball rests against an annular constriction 3i) adjacent to a smaller tube 31.

A cylindrical plug 32 is secured to tube 31 and is formed with an axial hole for loosely supporting an auxiliary piston 33. This piston has heads at each end and moves through the hole each time the marker is inverted. Because the marker fluid wets the piston surface, a small amount of uid is pumped into the piston chamber at each movement of the auxiliary piston. However, if the piston chamber is full of fluid, the auxiliary piston merely d moves in and out of the chamber without moving any fluid. The two enlarged ends of the piston 33 prevent movement of the fluid through plug 32 when the marker reservoir is maintained in either a vertical or inverted position.

From the above description it will be evident that the fountain marker can be used as described to exert considerable pressure on :a marking Wick having a continual supply of marking tiuid. The wick is retained in its operative position by simply inverting the container. The entire internal system may be secured against evaporation and hardening by inverting the container and replacing the cap.

The foregoing disclosure and drawings are merely i1- lustrative of the principles of this invention and are not to be interpreted in a limiting sense. The only limitations are to be determined from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A fountain marker comprising, a cylindrical container closed at its lowerend and defining an internal reservoir for the storage of marking fluid, a piston chamber secured to the upper end of the container `and supporting a first movable piston therein, said chamber formed with an opening at its upper end which permits the passage of a marker wick connected to the upper end of said first piston but retains the piston, an annular constriction intermediate the ends of the chamber for limiting the motionl of said piston and to aid in locking the piston in a marking position, a spherical ball also within said piston chamber for retaining the piston in a marking position when the lcontaineris in an inverted position by limiting against said annular constriction, and a movable auxiliary piston supported within a plug. positioned within the 4lower opening of said piston chamber for pumping iuid from the reservoir intothe chamber each time the marker is inverted, said ball also adapted to move into the space between they constriction and plug to permit the rst piston to move toits fully retracted position within the piston chamber when the container is in its upright position.

2. A fountain marker comprising, a cylindrical container closed at its lower end and defining an internal reservoir for the storage of marking tuid, a piston chamber secured to the upper end of said container and enclosing a first movable: piston therein, said chamber open at its upper end for the passage of a marker wick connected to the upper end of said first piston, said piston chamber also formedwith an: annular constriction intermediate its two ends `for limitngpthe' motion of said piston and to aid in locking the piston in a marking position, a single spherical ball enclosed in said piston chamber for retaining the piston in amarking position when the container is in an inverted position by limiting against the annular constriction, a plug secured in the lower end of the piston chamber, and an auxiliary piston movably supported in an axial hole in the plug for pumping liuid from the reservoir into the piston chamber each time the marker is inverted, said single ball also adapted to permit the piston chamber to move to its fully retracted position within the piston chamber when the container is in its upright position.

NoI references cited..

CHARLES A. WI-LLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FOUNTAIN MARKER COMPRISING, A CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER CLOSED AT ITS LOWER END AND DEFINING AN INTERNAL RESERVOIR FOR THE STORAGE OF MARKING FLUID, A PISTON CHAMBER SECURED TO THE UPPER END OF THE CONTAINER AND SUPPORTING A FIRST MOVABLE PISTON THEREIN, SAID CHAMBER FORMED WITH AN OPENING AT ITS UPPER END WHICH PERMITS THE PASSAGE OF A MARKER WICK CONNECTED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID FIRST PISTON BUT RETAINS THE PISTON, AN ANNULAR CONSTRICTION INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE CHAMBER FOR LIMITING THE MOTION OF SAID PISTON AND TO AID IN LOCKING THE PISTON IN A MARKING POSITION, A SPHERICAL BALL ALSO WITHIN SAID PISTON CHAMBER FOR RETAINING THE PISTON IN A MARKING POSITION WHEN THE CONTAINER IS IN AN INVERTED POSITION BY LIMITING AGAINST SAID ANNULAR CONSTRICTION, AND A MOVABLE AUXILLARY PISTON SUPPORTED WITHIN A PLUG POSITIONED WITHIN THE LOWER OPENING OF SAID PISTON CHAMBER FOR PUMPING FLUID FROM THE RESERVOIR INTO THE CHAMBER EACH TIME THE MARKER IS INVERTED, SAID BALL ALSO ADAPTED TO MOVE INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE CONSTRICTION AND THE PLUG TO PERMIT THE FIRST PISTON TO MOVE TO ITS FULLY RETRACTED POSITION WITHIN THE PISTON CHAMBER WHEN THE CONTAINER IS IN ITS UPRIGHT POSITION. 